


When the Wounds Refuse to Heal

by JeromeSankara



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: Amputation, Character Death, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mpreg, Rehabilitation, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-03 16:12:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8720308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeromeSankara/pseuds/JeromeSankara
Summary: Nothing could go wrong. Not when Zero Kiryuu finally had his life figured out. As one of the leaders of the Hunter's Association and the mate to Kaname Kuran, a pureblood and leader of the vampires, it had united both races under their leadership. They had finally moved in together, finally able to show their love without shame... Until a letter came to their door. A single piece of paper shattered a deservedly happy and quiet life as Zero is torn away once again and thrown into a war that they may not win. Many will die, few will survive, and those who do will never be the same again.





	1. Before the Gunfire Ceases

"Get down!"

The blast that followed rocketed through the beaten terrain, shaking it to its core. Shrapnel flew, scattering across the earth without a care to where it finally landed... And silence crept over the battle zone once again. But slowly, movement was starting to arise once more. Sluggish uniformed officers began to pull themselves up from the mud, the darkness of night clotting their senses but all of them knew that it was best not to complain... The night was when their subjects were in motion.

It was when they preyed upon their own bodies, using the dark as a veil over their bodies.

The eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as each of their soldiers started to pull themselves up to their feet, struggling to compose themselves from a long night of constant ducking and diving for cover. The enemies were getting stronger... They were claiming more weapons, starting to figure out just how to put them together in a slightly stable manner.

Off in the distance, another boom echoed. This time, though, silence didn't echo from it... In the distance was the low noise that chilled every man to their bones, the wail of death they called it. Where one of their troops had been hit... But there were so few of them, they couldn't afford to lose any more. They were losing... It was a slow, painful death to them, but they were some of the last resistance left. The last survivors to keep the outbreak from expanding to the unknowing world...

But there were just too many of them. And they were all beginning to close in... He could hear the wail of death rising and bubbling up and flames were beginning to lick the skies. The explosion had caught a camp on fire... The ground that they had gained over the last month had quickly been lost. And it seemed to be the thought running through every soldier's head here that they would soon be losing a lot more than ground...

The stuffy humid air was pulled deep within one of the soldier's lungs, the air tainted with the scents that had grown familiar to the man... Blood, dirt, gun powder, death. They all left their stench in the once pure air, but that had been years ago... The hardened soldier stared out across the broken land in front of him almost defiantly, as if begging for someone to try to shoot him, daring them to land another bomb...

His soldiers were dying... They weren't to the caliber that they had been when this war had started. Even the newest recruits, ones that had no idea what hell they were getting themselves into, were losing their will, if not their strength and even their lives. It was going to take another wave of recruits again... To try to desperately train hunters and soldiers... It had grown to the point that they skipped hunting and just gave a gun to whoever could manage to shoot straight and would stay on their side.

But they would die quicker than anyone else, not surprisingly... The death count was growing, and it wasn't always because of wounds. Because whoever would be trapped behind enemy lines not only was dead to them but... became one of the enemy. But just who was the enemy that was destroying the hunters?

Level E's...

The Level E's were thriving more than ever before. And now they had been mutating themselves... Now they no longer needed the venom of a pureblood's bite to turn them. With the disgusting poison that coated their fangs, one single plunge into the neck of an unsuspecting victim tainted them... They not only had the strength of the Level E, the insane thirst or blood, and now the intelligence to think of much more dangerous ways to get what they wanted...

"Fuck..." the man muttered as he stared at the bright flames that licked up into the night sky. They were going to close in soon... And as the man turned and looked to his troops as they struggled to pull themselves up, he knew that there was no way they could fight against them. Ammo was getting low, their wills were cracking under the pressure, and judging by the thick scent of blood, there were injuries...

A bullet whizzed past his head, capturing a few snowy white hairs that stuck out in soft tufts just faintly beneath the army helmet. The amethyst eyes darted back to follow the path of the bullet, his heart jumping into his throat for a moment before finding that there was no one behind him to hit any longer. Ah damn it... They probably scattered... Scattered like cockroaches when the light was turned on. But it wasn't their fault, they weren't ready... And it nearly drove pain into his hardened heart to know that they were putting nearly innocent lives at risk for a losing cause...

But lives were going to be lost. This was war. This wasn't a playdate with three year olds. People were going to die...

And it sure as hell wasn't going to be him. Not today.

The scent of the Level E's suddenly rushed up to meet the man, snapping him back to reality. This wasn't the time to drift off and think about what the hell he had gotten himself into. They needed to get moving. Now. He could already feel the presence of his enemy closing in and could feel the feet start to crunch into the debris that was scattered across the land, but using the darkness to shadow themselves... It would be the perfect attack...

"Fall back!" a loud cry came from his lips, his only ability to command his troops. They had no fancy signals any longer or any way to spread the word... Hell, he wasn't even supposed to be on the front lines. But with the lack of men, they needed every able bodied man ready to fight... even though the strongest of hunters had already been claimed.

Kaito was one of the first to go. He went in on the first wave in a suicidal mission that proved exactly that. But he died fighting to the very end...

Other great hunters, the best of the best, had fallen. From the last that he had heard, him, Yagari and Kaien were the only true hunters left. And who knows how long his sensei was going to survive... With only one eye and a shot gun, it was a race against time... After all, when was he going to die.

Well if he didn't get his ass out of here, soon.

The man immediately darted back, scanning his amethyst eyes across each of the craters that the bombs from before had left behind, leaving faint shelter to them. Men were scattered in the holes but they weren't moving... Dead. More of his platoon had died, but there were still some coming back... Men were helping men drag each other out of the holes, the able bodied running towards the camp that was positioned painfully far away. It was going to be a mad dash to try to save their own skins, one that not all men were going to complete...

And once they're there, it was going to be a rush to start moving. They couldn't camp here, not when the enemy was closing in. Not when he could almost feel the hot breath on his neck, the same thing he had felt so many damn times. He could already hear the bullets as they scraped against metal and wood, against the shrapnel left many times over. The faint pounding of feet behind him made his blood run cold, not knowing if it was the enemy or whatever remained of his troops...

Another bullet whizzed past his head and he could see the silver strands that it captured shoot past his head then delicately drift down to the ground as if nothing had happened. Damn it, they were getting close... And their aim was getting better. And as the men scrambled their way up the ridge that was their protection to the camp below, he could only watch as the bullets claimed one man... after another... after another. They fell and slumped to the ground, some lucky enough to be dead before they hit the ground.

They were the lucky ones...

Others staggered to remain on their feet as the crude bullets impaled into their legs, striking bone as they cried out in pain. But they also cried out names... Crying out the names of their fellow soldiers to help them, begging God to spare them... But as they started to slide down into the mud, the same phrase that had been running through his head for months, years, was pouring through his head once again.

There was no God here... There never was a God.

God ignored this hell hole, pushed it aside and turned his gaze away. He ignored the blood and the suffering, the cries of agony and terror that claimed each and every one of them. War was ugly... It wasn't the courageous, heroic acts that many men tried to convince the others as they go into war. No, it was just... fiery hell. The land reeked of blood and death, no honor. Not even in death was there honor... Not when the bodies were to be mangled by the opponent after they had fallen, some even still alive...

A loud cry beside him snapped him out of his thoughts from the death and destruction almost instantly and he felt a man stagger into his side. He felt the warmth of liquid start to stain itself into his uniform, going through the worn and destroyed padding underneath and the liquid starting to touch his skin. It pushed the man back on his feet, his arms instinctively reaching out and grasping a hold of his comrade. A grunt slipped from his lips as he was pulled to a halt, an action that could easily kill him...

But he couldn't help but look down at the man that had fallen against him, moaning in pain, still alive... He could see the path the bullet had taken, straight into his stomach. He saw the blood that was gushing out from the jagged hole, created by the crude bullets that only slaughtered and maimed, destroyed and slashed. He was already done for...

"...H-help... me...!" the choked beg came from the soldier's lips as he leaned heavily against the other soldier, his feeble arms trying desperately to wrap around his shoulders to pull himself up. His heart couldn't help but ache... But this scene had played out in front of him too many times to count. A man wounded, begging for help that he couldn't give. It would be a life already lost, and it would only put himself in danger...

Within moments, a rattling groan came from the dying man's lips as the able bodied man started to push himself forward, dragging the man along with him for a few short steps until the arms began to slack... Probably dead already. Forcing himself not to look back at the face of the man he carried, he grabbed the arms and pushed them off, letting the body slide from his back. It fell with a thud, not like he looked back to check... Don't waste time with the dead. That had been one of the few laws he had learned in the force...

Don't look back to the dead, or you'll become one of them. Every moment was another moment you should be glad to live, not spending it checking pulses.

Even as the blood was still wet on his side, he still pushed himself forward, taking off in a sprint to make up for the ground he had lost. He couldn't waste a moment longer... Not when their camp needed to get packed away and flee as quickly as they can to prevent more lives being lost. Pulling himself up on the ridge as fast as he could, following his own soldiers up as they flocked to camp, he set his eyes down to the camp enclosed inside. They were already pulling down tents and packing them as quickly as they could muster.

Things were going to be alright here... As long as they could get out of here in time. It was going to be a staggering loss for them but he refused to let all of his men die... Rushing down down the ridge in heartbeats to meet his fellow troops, he could already see the heads turning to him, calling out his name for his help.

"General Kiryuu!"


	2. A New Life, a New Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is always something worth fighting for, even when it feels like there is nothing left in the world

_-Three years earlier-_

_"Welcome home, Zero."_

_The soft words that spoke beside him were just enough to snap the silver haired hunter back to reality. Home... It had been a word he had not used for a very long time, for years. Cross Academy had not been home to him, nor the cramped apartment he had rented for years after his graduation. Neither had been his home... But now... Here he was, standing in front of their home. Looking up for a moment to his husband standing beside him, he couldn't help but faintly smirk back at him. He locked eyes with the smoldering rubies brimming with love, love he still couldn't believe looked only to him... Their hands tightened in one another's grasp, refusing to loosen, not after what they had to overcome to get this far._

_It had taken years of determination, promises hanging by a thread, and more to stand here today, still together, still strong. The worst time had to have been when their species had found about their relationship... It had been pure chaos as both sides snapped at their leaders, refusing to settle with the idea that their commanders were now a mated pair, and at the time, soon to be married. It had stretched out their engagement by a solid two years... Their hopes to marry in peace and secrecy had been destroyed by a single kiss Zero had dared to give his lover, caught by a single vampire's eyes. But now they were past that, and peace had began once again between their species, once they had realized that their leaders being together would only mean years and years of peace and the loss of war._

_Zero's soft amethyst eyes looked up at their home once more, modest compared to what Kaname had dreamed for them. He had wanted nothing more than to give his hunter husband the best of everything, but after Zero had quickly reigned in his pureblood mate, they had settled on something in between. Modest, but with enough money spent into it to make Kaname happy. And it was all theirs..._

_Zero had not seen their home before today, with Kaname having left it as a surprise. They had only come back from their honeymoon just as the sun had gone down, enjoying several weeks by themselves where no one could bother them any longer. It had been hard to get peace and quiet when the hunters and vampires followed their every step. He vaguely wondered just how long it would take for them to figure out that they now had a new home, refusing to go back to the Kuran mansion or even to Zero's apartment. It would be peaceful until then, though..._

_A warm kiss onto his cheek once again drove Zero away from his happy thoughts, and a chuckle slid from him. "Do you love it?" Kaname murmured into his ear, and he already could feel the soft shivers up his spine. Kaname always seemed to have this affect on him, to drive him wild with the most simple of motions. Maybe it had been why the two had refused to reconcile while at the academy, refusing to see their true feelings and instead turn them into hate. That had not lasted past Zero's junior year, thankfully. It had been an accident that they had accepted their feelings at all... A drunk Zero, still on patrol of course, had been scolded and brought inside the Moon dorms by Kaname. Of course the alcohol went to Zero's head and... Things happened._

_Zero wished he could have remembered the entire thing... He remembered the morning after quite clearly, though. Utterly naked and embracing a still asleep Kaname... The only repercussions at the time had been Yuuki being upset with Zero for ditching patrols. But now it had led to this... The newly weds standing before their home, ready to begin their new life together._

_"Of course I do... But it might look better on the inside," Zero chuckled as he gave Kaname's hand a squeeze, only to soon tug it forward. They needed to get settled in... And Zero wanted nothing more than to explore the home Kaname had slaved over for months, making sure that every little detail had been perfect. Pulling the bag that Zero still held in his other hand, he did not hesitate to nearly drag Kaname up to the front steps, only for the pureblood to quickly open the door. With a soft push, the large wooden door opened to the two, and leaving both of them to quickly rush inside, to finely explore their home and begin their lives... They disappeared into the home together, hand in hand, and let the door close behind them with a soft click._

* * *

 

The boom of another bomb rocketed through Zero's head, to the point that he would be surprised that his brain had not been reduced to mulch from such a blast. The questions and cries of his soldiers had nearly been drained out, but a few voices managed to push through. Where would they move camp. How many were still alive. Were they the only ones left... None of them were questions that Zero could surely answer, but he knew that he would be of no use if he simply stood in silence, letting his men panic.

"Calm the fuck down, we're moving south. Pick up only what you need, medical supplies, food, water, we need to get moving!" Zero's commanding voice forced its way over the sounds of gunfire and the panicked sounds of his troops. Staggering soldiers were nearly throwing themselves over the ridge behind him into the safety of their camp, some limping, others still trying to save the dying. They would know soon that there was no place to be heroic... Those that were too slow would be left to die. There would be no heroes today, no miraculous saves. All that they should be concerned about was surviving another day... And as another bullet whizzed overhead and narrowly missed the soldier standing mere feet from Zero, he knew they had to work fast if they had even the slimmest of chances.

It was organized chaos within seconds, soldiers frantically pulling their supplies together. Equipment and guns were strapped to their backs, kits and bandages hoisted into their arms, while others were carrying food and water. They were all items that would take time to replace, as their next shipment may not make it to their new camp. The shipments of supplies have been getting smaller, simply because they are unable to get across the battlefield to where the survivors laid helpless until their arrival.

Looking up at the darkened sky as the flames reached only higher, as if to touch the stars and the crescent moon just out of reach, Zero could only feel the cold ball of ice sitting in his gut. South would be the only place they could go... They would lose ground, but hopefully run into other troops. Ground could be regained... Lives could not. And they had been losing enough troops as it was.

Another bullet whizzed by, and this time Zero could feel it slightly scrape against the side of his helmet, adding yet another scar to the already slashed helmet. They needed to get out of here faster... Gritting his teeth together as his eyes narrowed at his frantic troops, he couldn't help but let out a growl. "We're in a war people! If you can't pull your shit together then you'll only slow us down!" Zero's temper spoke for him as he raced down the lip that protected their enclosed camp, already grabbing weapons and first aid kits. He may be the most able bodied of his entire camp... They had been poorly trained, after all. Only months in training before forced onto the battle field to try to fight a losing war. Zero didn't blame them for not being ready...

It was suicide by this point to fight this cause.

But he was going to fight... He had to return home. Just a few more days and the new troops would come, and as Kaien had promised him, they would be ready. Minutes had felt like hours as the shattered troops managed to pick up what was needed, though leaving behind much more than any of them cared to admit. There would be no time to go back. And as the flames stretched only higher, Zero knew he could not look back. There were already so many lives lost today... And as the men disappeared under the cover of darkness, he knew he would not be one of them. They may have gained their camp... But they would not take him today.


	3. A Glimmer of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blink to the past to expose hopes to the future, and a present that just won't move fast enough.

_-Three years ago-_

Was there a single room in this house they had not mauled with their sexual desires? Probably not... The 'modest' house the two newly weds were living in was soon broken in within the first few weeks of their married life. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing... But hopefully the two will manage to control their thriving sex drives before they would be caught. Not a soul knew that they lived in this home, yet. It was private, able to stay away from the constant media attention that came from the second-in-command of the hunters marrying the leader of the vampires. It was quite a juicy story for anyone who needed it.

But after yet another steamy night that had finally ended up in their proper bedroom instead of adventuring to other parts of their home, the house was quiet, and the sun was setting. It was time for the vampires to awaken from their slumber... But of course Zero wasn't quite use to this bull shit that was sleeping during the day.

A yawn slipped from the weary hunter as he stood in the library that Kaname had set up in his study. He had been here almost all day after he just couldn't get to sleep... It was hard trying to balance two very different sleeping patterns, but it seemed like he would slowly have to get use to the vampire way of life. It had been much easier when they had been dating... Visits would normally be at night, when Kaname would awaken, and Zero would normally doze off until about noon and return home. Even the weekends of being with each other had usually resulted in the same pattern, and Zero hadn't quite been ready for the sudden change.

Rubbing his bleary eyes as he attempted to focus on the numerous titles, he soon reached up and plucked one from the shelves. The other books had fruitless efforts. Maybe he just needed to keep searching... He wanted answers, after all. He knew there were ways to do this, he had heard of them himself, but he hadn't yet wished to ask Kaname. After all, he didn't want to worry his husband with such a big step in their relationship. They had it peaceful as it was, it shouldn't be ruined...

The book was soon plopped onto the desk, the nearly naked hunter soon stretching himself out in Kaname's luxurious chair, of course taken from the academy. Putting up his heels onto the edge of the desk and quietly adjusting his sweatpants to keep his legs warm, he soon started to flick through the pages... It was another ancient book, the pages nearly falling out. The cover was worn but the title, written in Latin, was still able to be seen. Or at least the single word he needed to find...

Sanguisugae. Vampire.

He needed to do his research... And he knew that it would be nearly impossible to look through this Latin book. He knew terms and words, but not enough to read through an entire book. But he was searching for just one word, one word that would help him connect the dots... He could always scorch through Google translate for the rest, but he just needed that one little hint.

Fetura... fetura...

...There-!

"Zero, what are you still doing up?"

The tired voice was the cause of the book slamming shut in a heartbeat, and a cloud of ancient dust soon swirled around the silverette. Coughing at the mixture of dust that rushed into his lungs, he turned himself in the chair to see Kaname, still tired, his eyes still clouded with sleep. His beautiful dark chocolate hair was messy, as it normally was. It was so damn long that it always got into knots and tangles during his sleep... But Zero loved it all the same. Pushing the book aside and hoping that Kaname was simply too tired to notice such a thing, he worked on clearing his lungs of the dust before answering.

"...I couldn't sleep. You know it's a bitch to sleep during the day for me," Zero chuckled as he slowly brought himself up to his feet. He stretched, trying to work out his aching muscles free. Kaname, though, didn't seem like he was happy with his answer judging by the faint frown that had covered his face.

"You're never in my study, you have had no need to... What were you looking for?" Damn it. Kaname always stared straight through his lies. It was an uncanny ability that Zero hated with a passion, never being able to slip anything past the pureblood, not even for a minute. He couldn't even surprise him with making his favorite food before Kaname would guess what he was doing... But this was something he knew he couldn't tell Kaname, not quite yet. Maybe in a few weeks, maybe longer...

"I was bored," was the simple excuse Zero gave him as he crossed the distance between their bodies, hoping that Kaname simply will not notice the lone book sitting on his desk. He wished that Kaname wasn't so neat and precise so that he could hide it easier... Leaning in for a soft kiss on the lips, his sleepy husband soon reluctantly followed, as if accepting the answer.

"Come back to bed, we have no need to be up this early." Kaname broke the kiss with his soft, gentle words, his ruby eyes looking back into Zero's amethysts. He would accept that... He would just have to look back into that book at a different time. It was the first thing that he had managed to find all day and he needed to continue searching. It may have the answers he desired. But he had to make sure that his husband wouldn't snoop in with him at every moment. It had occurred to Zero a few times that Kaname may already know the answers he was after, but that conversation simply would be too awkward to begin.

He could hear the awkwardness in his own head as he brought up the only beginning of the conversation he could think of...

_"Hey Kaname. Know any way that we could get pregnant? Two men having a baby together? It can't be that hard."_

Pfft. Ridiculous. Quietly as he linked his hand with Kaname, he took a quick glance into the study and looked back at the book, trying his best to memorize what page he had been on. 285... He would return to it sooner or later. It could wait... They had all the time in the world, after all.

All the time they needed...

* * *

 

Silence had overcame their makeshift camp. It was a silence that chilled Zero to the bone more than any gunfire or bombs the enemy had thrown at them today. He could breathe in the stench of death, blood and gunpowder that still carried on his soldiers. The blood that soaked into his clothes was beginning to cool now, hardening into rustic stains that would take too long to wash out. But they only overlapped other old stains, ones Zero simply did not care to remove from his body any more. There was no need to when it would only become filthy with death again...

His men had already gone to sleep, and other than a few keeping watch over the wounded and scouting out the land to make sure they were not wandering into a trap, he was alone. He could still see the distant flames licking at the crescent moon, attempting their best to turn it the blood red that had flown onto the earth today. It was just... too quiet. But they were away from their enemies, and they were safe for another night. For once he might allow himself to be soothed by the silence...

_...Bzzz- Zero... Zero, do you rea-bzzzz_

The loud sound of the radio connected to his side had made the skilled soldier jump, his hand automatically reaching down for the Bloody Rose still clasped to his chest. But his thundering heart began to quiet once more, only slightly, as he realized that it was Kaien. He always tried to keep in touch with Kaien... Try to understand when the new troops were coming in, when they would be getting new supplies... He could only hope that it would be good news today.

Forcing his nerves to settle as he slowly stepped his way back to his tent, the hunter took the radio and soon replied. "Kaien, I copy. What's the news," Zero grunted as he pulled the flaps of his tent closed, wishing for nothing but privacy. If it was bad news, he refused to let his troops hear it. Their wills were shattering as it was, as well as their bones. It would end their will to fight.

_"Zero! Finally, I have been trying to contact you all night!"_

A sigh left Zero's lips as he heard Kaien's shrill and worried voice. He always turned into that 'father figure' when it came to speaking to him alone... Even in a middle of a war, he still couldn't stop trying to protect him... "We had a few... issues. We had to move camp, we're trying to lead them away from a neighboring town. It's the only way we can try to stop more civilian casualties," Zero reported in near silence, knowing far too well that they would have won this war a year ago if it wasn't for the Level Es snatching up civilians from nearby towns they hadn't thought were so close. It had taken two days for their numbers to triple, and the war they thought had been so close to being over was back again...

He refused for it to happen again.

_"Just try to continue going south. We may lose ground, but the new troops will be here soon. I promise you that they will be ready."_

"You said that the last time and you gave me shit."

_"That won't happen again!"_

Zero forced back another sigh... It wasn't Kaien's fault that Yagari was pushing out soldiers before they were ready. Yagari thought nothing more than to get bodies onto the warzone, rather than properly training them. Then again, he was one of the last original hunters left... He was the only one they could trust to train troops, and it was the only thing keeping Yagari alive at this point rather than allowing him to run loose, guns blazing, only to be shot down within an hour. "...Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

_"Our communications are back up again. You can speak to him tonight if you wish to."_

...Finally. A spark of warmth flowed into Zero's chest for the first time in a month. It had been so long since he had seen him... And Zero decided that he didn't need to wait a second longer. He didn't care for the words that soon tried to pour through the radio as he flicked the dial, silencing it. He needed to see him again, see how he was doing, see if there was any news... Anything... Any good news back home...

With the first glimmer of happiness that Zero had dared to give himself for a very long time, he did not hesitate to grab through his equipment before taking out a rather battered and old laptop. It was his lifeline... And as he booted it up, he knew that he would finally be able to see his beloved again.

He would surprise Kaname with a call.


	4. A Call for Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of being without a single sight of his husband, Zero finally is able to talk with him again, even if they were thousands of miles away. All he wants, though, is to hear the first good news he's had in years.

_'C'mon, c'mon... Pick up already...!'_

Frustration perked through the soldier sitting in front of the small laptop screen, watching the Skype call attempting to reach his lover on the other end. Kaname wasn't expecting a call, after all... He may not even have his computer open at all. Trying not to groan as he tapped his finger on the small table he was sitting at, he realized that just for a moment he could forget about the war going on around him... This was his time for some peace, to recollect himself. To see the husband he needed to get back home to... Now if only he would pick the fuck up.

Glancing out the slit of his tent, he could still see that it was deep into the night. He had been trying to call Kaname for the past hour, with connections being dropped or Kaname simply not responding. He hoped that he was at least awake... It had been a few months since he had been able to come home. He had forgotten already about the time differences... It could be an hour or half a day, he didn't even know. But all he was hoping for right now was a bit of good news, maybe something Kaname had found out... They were still trying, after all, even after three years.

_"Zero?"_

The familiar voice burst the hunter out of his thoughts and nearly made him jump out of his seat, but his head spun to look back at the computer, seeing a rather confused pixilated Kaname at the other sides. Immediately it was as if all of his worries had been forgotten as the soft smirk soon crossed his face, letting himself at ease for the first time in weeks. "Our communications came back up tonight. I can finally call you again." His heart swelled as he saw Kaname's expression lighting up. It was hard to get the pair of them excited for anything... They both knew the dangers of what was going on around them.

Zero was in the war. Kaname was by himself. The vampires were agitated that their kind was trying to be controlled, though it seemed as if none of the vampires knew what was really going on... To them, the vampires were being attacked by the hunters, not that the Level Es were quickly taking over in rates that exceeded imagination. But none of that mattered to them right now, not when they could see each other, face to face, or at least as close as they can at the moment.

He tried to see past the pixels of just how Kaname was. He looked tired... Then again, it was nearly time for the sun to come up, at least where Zero was. It may even be morning there... But he was sure Kaname wouldn't mind staying up a few minutes later to talk to him.

_"How have things been over there? The news hasn't said very much, just that it's a stalemate."_

Of course Kaname had been watching the news... The vampires of course would not report on such a thing, but the hunters were constantly buzzing with new stories, about how the war was continuing, what was currently happening... He almost expected Kaname to be watching it at this moment. "We're being pushed back, but we can gain ground again once we get new troops. They'll be in any day. We might be able to turn this around quickly and I can be home again."

Kaien always wanted Zero to be home before the rest of the troops. With only three original hunters left, it was needed to protect them more than ever. The last thing they needed was for their entire species to be wiped out because they were careless... It had been the reason that the first few months of this war had the most casualties. Hunters running in, unprepared for the severity because they thought this was just another mission... Zero had been exactly the same way.

_"The sooner the better... You have been away for far too long,"_ Kaname sighed over on the other end, pulling up a chair so he could talk with Zero properly. Now he was beginning to see Kaname a bit clearer, seeing how his always neat clothing was perfect, though the tiredness on him wasn't disappearing for a moment. Then again, it couldn't exactly be a walk in the park, knowing that Zero was in danger every single day...

Trying to change the subject to keep his mate from soon becoming upset, he forced a light smirk on his face as he leaned closer to the screen, his eyes locking with Kaname's though he knew the camera would not allow such a connection. "...Enough about what's going on over here. I want to know if there's anything happening over there. How have you been feeling? Do you think we might have a chance this time?"

_"Well..."_

_-Three years ago-_

Finally Kaname had gone back to bed. It had taken a romantic dinner, a couple rounds of sex and even a few extra things to tire the pureblood enough to make him rest. But now it was his chance yo look again, to see if he could piece together an answer for them. His other attempts of trying to find the book had been fruitless when Kaname would interrupt him and he couldn't help but think that he was suspecting something. But Zero wanted to find the possibilities for himself, to see if there may be hope. It wasn't like if they couldn't possibly get pregnant that it would be the end of the world...

With arms crossed, his narrowed eyes stared at the lines of books, trying to remember where that damn book was. It was old and faded, but so was every other book in this damn library. Heaving a dark sigh as he pushed another book into the shelf back to its spot, he tried the next shelf. It took nearly an hour of looking through the shelves before Zero forced himself to think that it may not be here at all... Frowning as he looked away from the shelves, he tried to think of where it may be...

Until he looked down to Kaname's desk. And there it was. Right there in front of him, positioned perfectly in front of the chair. He could have sworn that he had put the book back last time he had been looking through it... With a little dread in his chest, he thought for a moment that Kaname maybe had been looking through it at some point... But that would be ridiculous. Kaname barely read any of these books except for a select few.

Swallowing a little hard, the young hunter soon sat himself into Kaname's chair, reaching forward and opening up the little book. He flicked through the pages, already knowing what page to go on. 285... Pushing back delicate page after delicate page, he soon found himself staring at page 280, 281, 282... 283, 284...

And then the remains of multiple pages ripped out of the book.

"Looking for something, Zero?"

Kaname's voice made Zero nearly jump out of his skin, once again slamming the book closed. God damn it, did Kaname never get tired?!

Rising up from his seat, he whipped his head around only to see Kaname leaning just slightly against the doorframe, with a hand full of ancient pages in his hand as he looked through each of them with interest. God damn it, he was caught. Again. And he would not have the chance to simply look again, not as Kaname held the pages he had been searching weeks for.

"I-i can explain," Zero feebly tried to get himself out of the situation, trying to give himself hope that Kaname had not yet looked through the pages. But as he was speaking, he could already see that Kaname was reading through every Latin word on the page. Any chance of him being able to keep this secret was slipping away by the second... And as an awkward silence began as Kaname read and Zero feared the worst reaction possible, Kaname finally spoke.

"So you wish for us to conceive? Unless of course you were doing research for Takuma and Shiki."

The hint of the smirk on Kaname's lips made Zero's heart drop to the pit of his stomach. There goes all the planning, all the ideas that he had to maybe convincing Kaname that they could try... They were all gone in that moment as he looked at that teasing smirk, watching as Kaname looked through each of the papers. Though as Kaname flipped through the last one and moved the pages to his side. Standing himself up straight and turning himself to look back to Kaname, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

Zero was stiff as his husband walked towards him, ready for Kaname to scold him for his foolishness. It was ridiculous to even consider after all... Adopting in the future, maybe. He should have just settled with that... But why even bring it up now. They had been married for only a few months, there was no need to look so far ahead.

But what nearly made the hunter flinch was the gentle lips that pressed to his own, holding them captive before parting away to just say a few words.

"...Why didn't you just ask instead of going to all of this trouble. Do you really not believe I thought of this for our future? That I do not plan ahead?"

It left Zero speechless, confused even as he looked into the gentle ruby eyes before he had been given another kiss on the cheek. He was numb to the point that he couldn't comprehend just what Kaname was saying... Was he saying that he wanted this too? As if knowing that his mate was confused beyond belief, Kaname gave a soft sigh. Zero just didn't understand.

"In plain English, yes I wish to have a baby. And I know a way how. And if you wish, we can start tonight."

_-Now-_

_"...Nothing yet, I'm afraid. But you know as well as I do that it will take time. I may even be pregnant but will not feel its affects."_

Disappointment was fresh over Zero's face before he could stop it, letting out a sad sigh. Damn it, of course no luck. Kaname even seemed to see it on his face as he frowned, leaning in closer to the camera.

_"Wouldn't it be best if we wait for you to be home first before we try more? Even if you get a couple weeks home between deployment, it... Doesn't feel right."_

Zero already knew what was on Kaname's mind... And frankly, it was always with Zero as well. What if he didn't come home to his pregnant mate. What if he left Kaname and his child...alone. This war had taken so many lives already, what was to say that it wasn't him that was going to be next. But the hunter soon shook his head, intending on passing off the topic. "If we try now, and you do get pregnant, it will take up to three years before the baby is born anyway... Besides, the war can't last forever. I will come home to both of you."

He was already talking as if Kaname was pregnant, because they both knew that it was a possibility. Though as Kaname frowned at him, obviously unconvinced, Zero decided that it wouldn't be wise using this time to argue something they couldn't control. Taking in a deep breath, he moved his fold out chair a little closer to the computer and leaned in. "Do you think there is something we're missing? We're doing everything that the book said... Right?" Already thinking through the short checklist in his head, he soon spoke up again.

"We both have the mark... Right?" Kaname couldn't help but roll his eyes and was already reaching up to his shirt, pulling the neck down to reveal the scratch that had remained permanently marked into his skin, stretching across his heart, the mark they had exchanged years ago in exchanging their blood.

_"It hasn't moved, Zero."_

Rolling his eyes back at his mate, he soon reached up into his own uniform and pulled the bullet proof jacket down just enough to reveal his own twin mark. Check... So what else. "You've had my blood multiple times and I've had yours..."

_"Check..."_

"And we've had sex."

_"Really, Zero?"_

"Well that's kinda a crucial part." Trying to hide the smirk that was growing on his face as he watched the crimson hint on his husband's cheeks, he soon let out a chuckle. "And we've tried with both of us. Did the book say anything about which of us it had to be? I'd assume it would be you since you are the pureblood and you are the natural vampire..."

_"You just don't want to be fat for two years."_

"That would be because of you and your damn pureblood sperm." After all, pureblood blood lengthened the pregnancy considerably because of their pure vampire blood... If it was pureblood and pureblood, the pregnancy would take a horrible five years. Through their own calculations, they guessed it would take about three years with Zero's Level D status thinning the vampire blood, though Zero couldn't help but hope that it would be less. Being pregnant for three years would be horrible, but caring for a pregnant husband for three years through hormones would be worse.

_"...Do you know when you can come home next? It's been... quiet here."_

Kaname's words soon pulled the hunter out of his thoughts and he soon found himself looking at slightly saddened ruby eyes. Damn it, he hated this part... Always giving bad news to his lover. Though hopefully things were going to be changing, and he would be unnecessary for the war. He was just one guy... He couldn't exactly be that crucial to the war if he was just one man, even if he was a true vampire hunter.

"...I'll be home sooner than you know it. You won't have time to miss me. And when I get home, we'll figure out why this isn't working or keep trying until we get lucky." Zero murmured softly, allowing the soft smirk to find his face again. And just as he saw doubt cross the pureblood's face again, he couldn't help but add a few words. "And we will get lucky."

They had been lucky enough as it was... Zero wasn't injured from the war, not for the past year. Of course there was that one time in the first year where he had been bitten... That damn venom had been murder on his body. But that would not happen again...

Just as he was about to say something else, though, a shrill noise made the hunter jump out of his chair, his eyes widening as he whipped his head to the side, staring to the entrance of the small tent. Men were already scrambling, and he could almost smell the panic that was in the air. His hair stood on end on the back of his neck as dread pooled in his stomach... That was the emergency whistle. There was something horribly wrong.

_"Zero?! What's going on out there? Are you in trouble?!"_

Zero almost didn't hear his mate's words as he looked back to the computer, already grabbing onto the lid to slam it in a moment. He could see how distressed Kaname was already becoming... But there would be no time to explain. "I'm sorry, Kaname, I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you," were the final words that he rushed out of his lips.

_"But Zero, I-"_

There was no time for Kaname's final words as he slammed the computer shut, already shoving it away into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Whatever was happening, he knew that there was no time to hear what Kaname had to say... Swallowing down his fear, he soon built up the wall over his emotions and his eyes hardened to ice crystals.

Zero threw back the tent lips, already seeing his soldiers beginning to pack up the equipment. He hadn't given any order for that! Growling softly, he soon saw one of his older comrades running past him, as if he wasn't even there. It was with a quick movement that Zero harshly grabbed onto his shoulder, stopping him in seconds and yanking him back to face the hunter. "What the fuck is going on out there?" Zero hissed, keeping his voice low to not alert any of the other soldiers more than they already were. They were panicking, and he needed to know the reason why. The solider stuttered a few time, his face white, before Zero finally snapped again.

"For God's sake, what is it?!"

"...T-the Level E's. They're on the move, they're heading straight for the town!"


End file.
